• Blapoo@lemmy.ml
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    2 years ago

    What’s a Tankie?

    EDIT: The range of definitions below is interesting

      • StrayCatFrump@slrpnk.net
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        2 years ago

        Thusly, any violent revolution stands a STRONG chance of being shunned by those who do not want a government with sanctioned violence.

        I disagree with this part. Violent revolution—violent opposition to our oppression—is absolutely necessary. However, turning it on ourselves—that is, in any direction other than that which opposes authority—is a recipe for disaster as you say.

        It’s not violence itself that is the problem. There are literally always forms of violence sanctioned by every single political philosophy (including absolute pacifism/non-violence, which sanctions violence performed by the state even if its subscribers often don’t realize this). The question is how and when that violence is performed and by whom, and the anarchist/non-authoritarian answer is that it must only be in the struggle for liberation, not the fight to gain and maintain power over others.

        • Orvorn@slrpnk.net
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          2 years ago

          I absolutely agree. Peaceful protest has never brought meaningful or lasting change. Violent uprisings are the only way to reduce unjust hierarchy, because those in power have never given it up willingly.

            • StrayCatFrump@slrpnk.net
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              2 years ago

              Unending storms of propaganda do a lot to influence how ignorant people react in a situation. And it serves to keep them ignorant as well.

              (Not the person you were responding to, but that’s my take on how people often react regarding Palestine.)

        • aberrate_junior_beatnik@lemmy.world
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          2 years ago

          pacifism/non-violence, which sanctions violence performed by the state

          Maybe this is a silly nitpick, but: you can say it unintentionally empowers or enables state violence, but it doesn’t sanction state violence. (FWIW I’m not a pacifist)

          • StrayCatFrump@slrpnk.net
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            2 years ago

            I’d say that’s a meaningless distinction, and that actions speak louder than words. But as you will.

    • blakeus12 [he/him]@hexbear.net
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      2 years ago

      “Tankie” was a term used to describe those that supported Khrushchev sending tanks to hungaria during that whole thing. Now, it’s been swallowed by western “leftists” and spit out to mean, in summary, “i can’t imagine anyone being more left than me, so they must be secret fake leftists that are actually fascists and golly gee i’m so smart.” comrade brain_in_a_box said it very well that it’s just the lib/soccdem/anarchist version of “woke:” just a random buzzword to refer to anything they don’t like.

    • StrayCatFrump@slrpnk.net
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      2 years ago

      A liberal who waves a red flag and pretends they aren’t liberal. Often they call everyone else (including us) liberal. 😂 😉